My
wife and I had company the last week in July. My daughter and her family
came up from California for a visit. It had been about five years since
they were last here, so there had been many changes in the area that they
noticed. Thanks to mainly good weather, we were able to get out and about
most of the time. The one day we wanted to play golf was windy, but as
we are not good golfers it really did not matter. All in all, we had a
nice visit.

On
one of our outings as we were on the way home, I observed a car directly
in front of me that was severely tailgating the car in front of him. He
was right on its bumper. The road was a two lane road with a double yellow
line down the center. Very quickly he crossed the lines, passed the car
ahead of him, and then slowed way down. He continued to slow down and I
could see him watching the car behind him in his rear view mirror. I commented
to my family that this looks like a case of road rage taking place. He
had almost slowed to a stop as the cars approached an intersection. As
they passed through the junction, the rear car swiftly turned right onto
the side road. The lead car proceeded a short way, then performed a U-turn
and went after the other car. The driver of this car was a young male.
I do not know what happened from that point.

Upon
review of the above event, I have asked myself if I should not have notified
the authorities of what was transpiring. In my view, there was a potential
for someone getting hurt. I had noticed the license plate of the one vehicle,
but by the time I got home I had forgotten it. Another problem was that
in the vehicle I was driving I did not have anything to contact anyone.
I don't have a cell phone, and my radios are for the most part in my jeep.
What this all boils down to is that I was not prepared for an unexpected
incident. I am going to review my ability to communicate from my truck
(this is my family car) so that if needed, I will be able to respond. I
think we all should respond in a situation where there is the potential
for injury.

The
club voted an honorary membership for Dmitriy Rozenblit,RA0LU,our Russian
visitor from last month.

The
club decided that some radios donated to the club by Terry, KD7AED, as
they are out of the HAM bands, should be sold at the next Puyallup Flea
Market and the proceeds placed into the club coffers. Our thanks to Terry
for his offer.

There
was a review of the Lakefair Parade. The general consensus is that from
a Ham standpoint it was a very successful operation.

The
program for the evening was a video of a DX expedition to Bhutan. This
was a well done film and was quite enjoyable. It struck a good balance
between operating DX and displaying some of the local culture and color.

PCSat,
a US Naval Academy Amateur Radio tracking and communications satellite,
is scheduled to launch September 1 (0100Z) from Alaska. PCSat will augment
the existing Amateur Radio Automatic Position Reporting System (APRS) by
providing links to the 90 percent of Earth's surface not covered by the
terrestrial network.

PCSat
was designed and assembled by midshipmen at the Naval Academy in Annapolis,
Maryland, to gain practical hands-on experience in support of their aerospace
curriculum. The students worked under the guidance of Academy Senior Project
Engineer Bob Bruninga, WB4APR -- the "father of APRS."

"We
hope that PCSat will be a new direction for amateur satellites by serving
the communications needs of travelers with only mobile and hand-held radios
anywhere on Earth," Bruninga said. PCSat will be the first satellite to
report its exact position directly to users via its onboard GPS.

In
addition to its APRS capabilities, the satellite will offer 1200 and 9600-baud
packet operation on VHF (145.825 MHz) and UHF (435.250 MHz). For APRS digipeating,
the satellite will use the recognized North American APRS frequency of
144.39 MHz.

Bruninga
said that PCSat should make a great classroom tool, since its telemetry
can be received by any hand-held packet radio for display to students on
their PCs.

PCSat
will be one of four satellites in the Kodiak Star payload. The others are
Sapphire, Starshine III and PicoSat. An Athena I launch vehicle will carry
the satellites into space from the Alaska Aerospace Development Corporation's
Kodiak Launch Complex. This will mark the first attempt to put a satellite
into Earth orbit from Kodiak Island. The spacecraft will be launched into
an 800-km circular orbit.

July's
premier event, the Lakefair Parade, is past, and we're into August and
the planning for the summer picnic and the fall road rally September 7th
and 8th. Wowzers! What a parade Lakefair was, and what a performance you
gave making it work! In total twenty-seven hams were involved in both guiding
the participants to the parade's beginning location and in communicating
the who-won-what information to the celebrity announcers stationed along
the parade route. Hams also helped keep the buses on track, and stood by
at a wrecker in case a float broke down. It should be mentioned that the
overall parade co-chairs were both hams. We received rave reviews at the
post-parade debriefing, and of course, are invited to be back next year!
(I have a few tee-shirts; if you helped but didn't get yours let me know!)

On
August 4th,
eight of us helped with the Diabetes Horse-A-Thon. This annual event puts
550 horses on the trails of Capitol Forest. Braving damp weather, bees,
slick trails, and unfamiliar terrain, the horses and their riders collectively
raise $40K for diabetes research. Hams stationed throughout the woods provide
a link back to the base camp from which the vet, farrier (horse-shoe installer),
medic, or the occasional trailer to take out an injured or tired horse,
can be requested.

This
particular event was quite impressive for me. I was at "pre-checkpoint
One," a lonely crossing of a dirt road and the horse trail. One horse shied
from a red sign tacked to a tree and began bucking, throwing its rider
high into the air and face-first into the dirt and rocky trail. I thought
we had a serious injury to deal with. The horse continued to buck for a
couple minutes, kicking and screaming (horses can scream) before its front
feet became entangled with its own bridle. This forced it to quit, so we
could see to the rider, a gal of about 40. She received a split-open forehead
but no serious injuries! She got up pretty angry -- with herself! -- but
traded horses and rode off, the horse now ridden by a man who "likes horses
that buck."

Larry
KC7CKO's August 22 potluck at his house is almost here! Larry lives on
9th Street on the eastside near downtown Olympia, below the water tower.
Be there!

The
road rally September 7th and 8th will be a big one, and I need all the
help I can find. That's a Friday evening/Saturday event and doesn't demand
two days of work; Saturday is really broken into two pieces. So if you
can spare your morning or afternoon, please let me know!

Plans
are made for September's OARS meeting. but October's program is open for
discussion. What would you like to see us highlight?

The
next ham class will be the last two Saturdays of September. Call me at
866-0800 to get in.

The
Radio Club of Tacoma will be holding its annual Electronics Fleamarket
on Saturday, September 8, from 9 AM to 3 PM. Admission is $5 (16 and under
free with an adult).

The
location is Frontier Park (Pierce County Fairgrounds), 21718 Meridian Ave.
E, Graham WA. From I-5 take exit 127 to SR-512 E. Go 8.6 miles to SR-161.
Turn right onto Meridian St. Go south 7 miles to Frontier Park on your
right.

Meeting
July 20-21 in Connecticut, the ARRL Board of Directors adopted a goal of
legislative action to provide amateurs the same protections from real estate
covenants, conditions and restrictions now enjoyed under FCC rules by home
satellite dish owners and others receiving over-the-air broadcast signals.

Board
members felt that amateurs should be granted the right to install an antenna
having a visual impact similar to that of a home television satellite dish
or other antenna that falls under the FCC's Over the Air Reception Devices
(OTARD) policy. In 1999, the FCC reaffirmed the OTARD rule that prohibits
restrictions that impair the installation, maintenance or use of antennas
used to receive video programming.

The
Board also approved the filing of a petition seeking a domestic, secondary
allocation for the Amateur Service at 5.250 to 5.400 MHz. The petition
will ask that amateurs General and above be allowed to operate in the so-called
60-meter band at up to maximum authorized power. No mode sub-bands will
be proposed at this time.

The
Board also adopted the revised band plan for 160 meters based on a proposal
from the ad hoc 160-Meter Band Plan Committee. The plan adopted sets aside
a segment for digital modes from 1.800 to 1.810 MHz, maintains CW operation
for the entire 1.8 to 2.0 MHz band, recommends a lower limit of 1.843 for
SSB operation, and designates QRP calling frequencies--1.810 for CW and
1.910 for SSB.

The
1.830 to 1.850 MHz "DX window" was eliminated. The committee recommended
that contest sponsors "consider the use of DX windows as necessary." The
plan accommodates established frequencies used on 160 for AM.

The
ARRL Board of Directors also endorsed the Logbook of the World. An electronic
alternative to collecting traditional QSLs for awards, the project goes
beyond simply replacing printed cards with electronic versions. Logbook
of the World will make use of electronic confirmations within a giant repository
of QSO information maintained by ARRL. Digital security methods will ensure
data integrity and authenticity.

The
Board also approved a new QRP DXCC award. Applications likely will be accepted
starting early next year. No QSL cards would be required, and there would
be no time limits or endorsements.

The
Board approved a plan to invite all International Amateur Radio Union Region
2 countries to take part in Field Day starting in June of 2002. This would
expand participation in the popular annual event to include stations in
both North and South America.

The
Board also resolved to encourage hamfest and convention sponsors to offer
free admission to anyone under 16 years old and accompanied by a paying
adult.

Thanks
to David Bushell, KC7AIJ, for sending along some very interesting web pages
from "Radio News" Vol 1 No3, Atlantic City, October 15, 1915. Following
are some extracts:

Club
Station

Through
the efforts of one of new members, namely Mr. Gleisner, we are very close
to having the much discussed club room in the tower of the Guarantee Trust
Building. All negotiations have not as yet been completed but it is expected
by the time this goes to press, the whole matter will be cleared up. Everyone
has heralded the idea and great things are expected, and of course this
is up to everybody, and not some particular person as is generally considered
in our club matters.

Wireless
Telephone

No
doubt most of the amateurs in and about the City are aware that there is
a wireless station in operation, presumably at NAA. He works between 12
and 1 AM.

The
wavelength is approximately 9000 meters.

A
peculiar thing about the wireless telephone here used is that the voice
always sounds the same, even though different persons are talking.

The
several nights he has been heard "Everett," "Ed" and Will have been heard
at trying their voice.

A
Few Don'ts

I
Don't work around 110 lines or other sources of high current with your
mouth open. Even a slight tingle of current may make you jump. Either you
may break a tooth or lose a piece of your tongue.

II
Don't try to make the other fellow find out what you know. He may succeed.

III
Don't hold back anything that may be for the good or interest of the association.

Base
Ball

During
the recent World Series "3IF" supplied several workmen on the street back
of the station with the scores and plays as sent out by "WHE." The rest
of the equipment consisted of a phonograph horn, which was used as a megaphone.